Figure 1.--This unidentifid snapshot looks to us like the San Blas/Cuna people of Panana. The clothing is similar to images we have seen of the San Blas people. They are one of the few Native American tribes to survive in Central America south of the Mayan areas. It may have been taken in the 1950s.

Panama even more than most countries has been shaped by Geography. Central America was a giant funnel for the early Native Americans moving south tioward South America. Andcthat funnel narrowed in Panama and the rugged Darrién. Native Americans would habe had to cross over the Darrién. Some may have made warter crissins with sea craft. This is all lost in the mist of time. Geography would also make Panama a major outpost of the Spanish empire, primarily because the gold and silver from South America (primarily Peru and Bolivia) could transit the istmus and then be shipped back to Spain. Of course the Spanish conquest of Panana began before the geography was known or the Inca in Peru conquered. Rodrigo de Bastidas claimed Panama for Spain while sailing along the Darién coast (March 1501). Columbus on his fourth voyage explored what he called Veragua and the Mosquito coast from Panama to the Cape of Honduras. Columbus met a cacique named Quibian, who was captured by Diego Mendez, but he managed to escape (1503). He found some gold, but like Bastidas made no attemp to settle. Columbus' ships after entering fresgwater were attacked by marine worms. Colunbus was eventually marooned on Jamaica. Other Spanish navigators followed, looking for gold and seizing natives for sale as slaves. Eventually Vasco Núñez de Balboa finally reached the Pacific (September 25, 1513). He became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Amnerica. Indigenous peoples of Panama or Amer-Indians are about 12 percent pf he overall population of 3.4 million (2010). Many of the Panamanian Indigenous Peoples live on comarca indígenas, administrative regions for those areas with a sizeable Indigenous populations. Three comarcas (Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, Guna Yala, Ngöbe-Buglé) are essentially provinces. Two smaller comarcas (Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí) are a units within provinces and have the status of a corregimiento (municipality). The pre-Columbian tribes of Panama traded with both Meso-America and South America and thus can be considered transitional people between those two cultural areas. Tribes to the north of Panama fall within the Meso-American cultural otbit, especially that of the Maya. Very few of the tribes have survived into the modern era. The Panamania tribes here today occupy the bottle neck through which all the people who would ststle South America had to pass, either over the Darién or by small ceaft sea passage. The Embera and Cuna inhabit the Darién Province. They are not believed to be related to the people who made the transit, but rather to later arrivals. The Guaymí and Ngöbe-Buglé are the two largest Panamanian groups and comprise about half of the indigenous population.

Geography

Panama even more than most countries has been shaped by Geography. Central America was a giant funnel for the early Native Americans moving south tioward South America. Andcthat funnel narrowed in Panama and the rugged Darrién. Native Americans would habe had to cross over the Darrién. Some may have made warter crissins with sea craft. This is all lost in the mist of time. Geography would also make Panama a major outpost of the Spanish empire, primarily because the gold and silver from South America (primarily Peru and Bolivia) could transit the istmus and then be shipped back to Spain. Of course the Spanish conquest of Panana began before the geography was known or the Inca in Peru conquered.

History

Rodrigo de Bastidas claimed Panama for Spain while sailing along the Darién coast (March 1501). Columbus on his fourth voyage explored what he called Veragua and the Mosquito coast from Panama to the Cape of Honduras. Columbus met a cacique named Quibian, who was captured by Diego Mendez, but he managed to escape (1503). He found some gold, but like Bastidas made no attemp to settle. Columbus' ships after entering fresgwater were attacked by marine worms. Colunbus was eventually marooned on Jamaica. Other Spanish navigators followed, looking for gold and seizing natives for sale as slaves. Founding a colony was a more difficult undertaking. Captain Ojeda was primarily involved with the main Spanish colony of Hispaniola. He returned to the Gulf of Paria (eastern Venezuela) to govern Coquibacoa. He built a fort and warred with the local population. He was arrested whn he returned to Santo Domingo, but eventually aquited. Early in the 16th century, the Spanish began to noice the decline in the Taino (Arawak) population. The first African slaves were brought to Española (1505). Ojeda on his third voyage sailed with the courtier Diego de Nicuesa. King Fernando granted concessions for colonization to Ojeda and Nicuesa (1509). Nicuesa captured a hundred natives on Santa Cruz (St. Croix in the Virgin Islands) and sold them as slaves on Española (1509). Ojeda and Nicuesa used Jamaica as a source of supply for settlers and raiders along the Venezuelan coast. Nicuesa eventually began exploring to the west and reached Panama, not realising at the time that it was an istmus. Bachelor Enciso sailed to the Indies with to link up with Ojeda (1510). Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, escaping his debts, had stowed aboard the ship. Enciso learned of the Zenú / Sinú, a tribe living in the valleys of the Sinu and San Jorge rivers and the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo in Colombia. They attracted Ensiso's attention because produced gold ornaments and commonly buried the gold with the dead. Enciso looted the graves and the Zenú were largely destroyed. After Enciso's ship was wrecked, he joined the company of Francisco Pizarro. Balboa claimed that he had been with Bastides and guided the company to the Darien, where the local people did not use poisoned arrows. Cacique Zemaco and 500 warriors resisted the Spanish, but was defeated by Enciso. This began the first Spanish settlement in Central Ameriuca. Enciso tried to control the gold found and as a result was deposed. Balboa and Zamudio were elected to lead the group. Nicuesa arrived and tried to take the gold. The other Spanish refused. He was forced to leave (March 1511) and disappeared from history. The decline of the Tainos on Hispaniola and resulting need for labor was in addition to gold a driving force for Spanish exoploration. Diego de Velazquez began the conquest of Cuba (1511). This would eventually being the Spanish closer to Central America and Mexico. Ponce de Leon seaking a medicinal fountain discovered Florida on Palm Sunday (1512). The Spanish on Hispaniola were brought under royal ccontrol by Ovando. The Spanish at Darien, however, quarled with each other and broke into factions. Balboa emerged as a leader. He dispatched Enciso back to Spain with alcalde Zamudio. A major Darien cacique, Zemaco, carried out a ambush attack. Francisco Pizarro and his men managed to fight off the attackers who fled into the interior. Two criminals had fled the Spanish camp during Nicuesa rule. They sought refuhe with Coyba cacique Careta. One went to Balboa and told him that Careta was hiding gold and other treasure. Balboa captured Careta and his family. Careta offered friendshopm and gave Balboa his daughter. Balboa helped Careta and the Coyba defeat their traditional enemy, the Ponca. Balboa in these inter-tribal wars managed to acquire a considerable amount of gold. Balboa disparched Valdivia to Española for needed supplies. During his expeditioins in Panama he had heard rumors that agreat sea lay to the west. He thus also wrote asking Govenor Diego Colunbus to send a thousand men for an expedition to discover the southern sea. Zemaco attacked again. So Balboa built a defensive fort at Darien (1512). Balboa also supressed a mutiny over the division of the gold. Columbus officially recognized Balboa as governor. Enciso who had reacged Spain, brought charges of treason against Balboa. Balboa organized 190 men and a thousand natives with guides. hey headed west toward the mountains. A Ponca foe Quaraqua attacked Balboa's party. The Spanish with firearms, steel swords, and dogs killed 600 of of the attackers. Balboa reportedly had about 40 homosexual men in the defeated Quaraqua's harem killed by dogs. Balboa wrote a letter to King Fernando defending himself (January 1513). Balboa finally reached the Pacific (September 25, 1513). He became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Amnerica. In the process he was amassing a fortune in gold and jewels. The cacique Chiapes provided him 500 pounds of gold. Tumaco gave him additional gold and pearls. Balboa sentenced the chief Poncra and three others to death by dogs. Their enemies had convinced Baklboa that hey were plotting an attack. Balnoa extorted additional gold from the cacique Tubanama.

Modern Panama

Indigenous peoples of Panama or Amer-Indians are about 12 percent pf he overall population of 3.4 million (2010). Many of the Panamanian Indigenous Peoples live on comarca indígenas, administrative regions for those areas with a sizeable Indigenous populations. Three comarcas (Comarca Emberá-Wounaan, Guna Yala, Ngöbe-Buglé) are essentially provinces. Two smaller comarcas (Kuna de Madugandí and Kuna de Wargandí) are a units within provinces and have the status of a corregimiento (municipality).

Tribes

The pre-Columbian tribes of Panama traded with both Meso-America and South America and thus can be considered transitional people between those two cultural areas. Tribes to the north of Panama fall within the Meso-American cultural otbit, especially that of the Maya. Very few of the tribes have survived into the modern era. The Panamania tribes here today occupy the bottle neck through which all the people who would ststle South America had to pass, either over the Darién or by small ceaft sea passage. The Embera and Cuna inhabit the Darién Province. They are not believed to be related to the people who made the transit, but rather to later arrivals. The Guaymí and Ngöbe-Buglé are the two largest Panamanian groups and comprise about half of the indigenous population.

Cuna/Kuna

One of the few Native American tribes to survive south of the Mayan areas are the Cuna, often called the San Blas indians. The Cuna are a matriarchial tribe inhabiting the isolated San Blas Archipelago, along the Caribbean coast of Panama. Some believe the Cuna were related to the Caribs who inhabited some of the Caribbean islands. Decisions are made by the women and family lineage follows that of the woman's family. The Cuna perhaps because of their isolated island homeland have retained much of their traditional culture and have resisted assimilation into the modern world and Panamanian society. Columbus entered the Boca del Toro area of western Panama on his fourth and last voyage (1502). He is known to have landed on some of the islands. This appears to have been before the Cuna arrived, fleeing both the Spanish and other native America tribes in what is now Colombia. The Cuna are virtualy all that are left of the Native American civilization that Columbus and Spanish conquistadores encountered in southern Central America and the Caribbean. The Cuna practice a democratic lifestyle and are largely self sufficient. The Cuna live in about 40 settlements on the about 365 islands that make up the San Blas Archipelago as well as the mainland. It cannot be said that the Cuna live just as the Spanish found them. They have accepted a variety of modern conveniences, but they have been very selective and have kept much of their ancient culture and traditions. The Cuna are noted for their Mola embroideries.

Embera

The Embera People live in the rugged, isolated Darien Gap of southern Panama and northern Colombia (Choco Department). Ironically, Darién was one of the first areas on the South American mainland that Europeans attempted to settle. Europeans first reached the area (1501). Christopher Columbus sighted the area on his fourth voyage (1503). The Spanish established the first European colony in South America in the Darién--Santa María la Antigua del Darién (1510). Santa Maria did mot prove a sccess, but some of the survibors founded Panama City (1519). Spanish acrivities moved to the north and south which is why the Embera and Waounan were able to survive in Darién. The idsolstion prorectedcthem both from Spanish slave raiding and other contact which prevented contracting European diseases to which theyhad no immunity. The Emberá lifestyle in their forested territiry is primitive. Readers should not take this as proof the pre-conquest Emberá were primitive. Some Native American people apparently reverted to a priitive life style as a defense strategy to evade Spanish slave raiders. The Emberá live a subsistence-style life, hunting in the rain forest and low-lecel agriculture. The Panamanian government has declared the Rio Chagres a national park, in pat to protect the Emberá. The area is today called the Darien Gap because road construction in the area is difficult and costly, which even leaves a gap in the Pan-American Highway. The area is largely undeveloped swampland and forest which as a result separaties Panama's Darién Province and Colombia Choco Department. The Colombian side is dominated by the Atrato River Delta creating a flat marshland. The Panamanian side is different, a mountainous rain forest with peaks up to 1,845 m--Cerro Tacarcuna. This is the same area as the Waounan as well as few Cuna communities and growing numbers of latino (Panamanian) homesteaders attempting to estanlish farms and ranches, The remote, rugged Darién is why the Embera unlike mot Central American tribes have survived into the modern era. They are tofay under increasing pressure to maintain their culture and way of life. The Embera Prople are commonly bilingual in Embera and Spanish and quite a few have intermarried with Colombian blacks.

Waounan

The Embera and Waounan share the same territory as well as a range of cultural elements. The speak, however, different languages which means separate origins. And traditional ciultural orientation is markedly different. The Waounan have an artistic orientation. The Embera have a more warrior ethos.

Created: 7:31 AM 2/10/2011
Last updated: 11:18 PM 7/7/2018